Fortune telling game

ABSTRACT

A fortune telling game device comprising a playing board and a rotatable pointer. The pointer is spaced above and pivotably connected at the center of the playing board and comprises an elongate rod and, located at one end of the rod, a contoured guiding member having a recessed arcuate top surface for comfortably receiving the fingers of the participant. Inscribed on the board is an indicia bearing annular shaped field subdivided into three subfields by three spoke-like lines emanating tangentially from the inner circle. Each subfield is further subdivided into sectors by additional spoke-like lines emanating tangentially from the inner circle. The sectors in two of the subfields are subdivided into portions by one or more arcs concentric with the overall field. Inscribed in each portion and nonsubdivided sector is an associated indicia that is either a letter, a number, a name of a calendar month, a symbol or a word. The game is played by proposing a question and then rotatably guiding the pointer using subliminal impulses subconsciously transferred thereto by the fingers of the participant resting on the guiding member. The pointer sequentially indicates the selected indicia that comprise the answer to the proposed questions.

United States Patent 1 1 Horton 1 Oct. 2, 1973 FORTUNE TELLING GAME Poney Horton, 1810 Hickory St., Savannah, Tenn. 38372 22 Filed: Oct. 18,1971

211 App], No.: 190,077

[76] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,524,254 1/1925 Johnson 273/141 R UX FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 22,092 11/1894 Great Britain 273/161 7,037 3/1909 Great Britain 273/141 R 433,267 8/1926 Germany 273/141 R Primary Exaniiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Arnold W. Kramer Attorney-Roberts B. Larson et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A fortune telling game device comprising a playing board and a rotatable pointer. The pointer is spaced above and pivotably connected at the center of the playing board and comprises an elongate rod and, located at one end of the rod, a contoured guiding member having a recessed arcuate top surface for comfortably receiving the fingers of the participant. Inscribed on the board is an indicia bearing annular shaped field subdivided into three subfields by three spoke-like lines emanating tangentially from the inner circle. Each subfield is further subdivided into sectors by additional spoke-like lines emanating tangentially from the inner circle. The sectors in two of the subfields are subdivided into portions by one or more arcs concentric with the overall field. inscribed in each portion and nonsubdivided sector is an associated indicia that is either a letter, a number, a name ofa calendar month, a symbol or a word. The game is played by proposing a question and then rotatably guiding the pointer using subliminal impulses subconsciously transferred thereto by the fin gers of the participant resting on the guiding member. The pointer sequentially indicates the selected indicia that comprise the answer to the proposed questions.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED BET 2 i975 3,762,716

SHEET 20F 2 \29 FIG 2 FORTUNE TELLING GAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to game devices in general and to fortune telling game devices for answering proposed questions in particular.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the art of fortune telling many devices are employed to enable a person to obtain answers to proposed questions. Some of the fortune telling devices in the prior art are of the game board type wherein the device comprises a playing board having indicia inscribed thereon and a'pointer or spinner for indicating the selected indicia that together comprise the answer to the proposed question. Pointers disclosed in the prior art include pointers that are rotatably attached to the playing board so as to be spinable, or movable over the surface of the board, or they are rigidly attached to a board, the device being provided with a disc pivotably connected to the board so as to be rotatable with respect to the board and the pointer.

Regardless of the exact configuration of the device, more enjoyment can be obtained from the playing of the game by adding a factor of mystical or ethereal guidance in the selection of the inscribed indicia constituting the answer to the proposed question. The mystical guidance factor is added to the game through the use of subconscious human motions in the positioning of the pointer. The prior art devices employing a spinner for a pointer, thus, do not afford any opportunity for subconscious human guidance in the selection of the answer.

Some prior art devices do employ some type of human guidance in the positioning of the pointer. For example, some prior art devices employ a number of participants positioned around the device whereby each participant provides an input force for the positioning of the pointer. The resultant of the input forces determine the final position of the pointer. However, these games cannot usually be played by a single participant, are usually large in size and are usually comprised of a number of complicated, interacting and cooperating parts. In addition, these devices do not rely on subconscious movements of the participants.

Still other prior art devices are of the planchette type that include a pointer that is movable by the participant over thesurface of the board. The planchette fortune telling devices generally use either a. board and a pointer that are not connected, or a pointer that is movable in both a circular and in a radial'direction. The former type of planchette device has the disadvantage that the pointer can be misplaced or separated from the playing board, thereby rendering the device useless. The latter type of planchette device has the advantages that the mechanism is somewhat complicated, thereby increasing the manufacturingcosts, and is usually delicate or fragile, thereby subject to becoming inoperative with continued use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a fortune telling device which overcomes these and other disadvantages of the prior art. The present invention is relatively uncomplicated in structure, can be of a relatively small and lightweight size, and is operable by one person.

One embodiment ofthe present invention comprises a a board having an indicia bearing field divided into a plurality of portions by a plurality of spoke-like lines inscribed on the board, some of the portions being further divided into arcuate bands by arcuate lines inscribed on the board. The present invention further comprises a pointer pivotably connected to the board and comprising an elongate body member, means for pivotably connecting the body member to and maintaining the body member spaced from the board and a contoured guiding member having a recessed arcuate top surface for comfortably receiving the fingers of the participant. The shape of the contoured guiding member aids in the employment by the participant of subliminal impulses subconsciously transferred to the fingers of the participant for rotatably moving the pointer and thereby spelling out an answer to a proposed question in a seemingly more mystical manner.

Other features and objects of the present invention are apparant from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention found hereinbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic representation depicting the arrangement of an indicia bearing field inscribed on the board of a fortune telling device in accordance with the invention, and FIG. 1a is a tabular guide to the meaning of the symbols used in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic representation of a fortune telling device in accordance with the invention showing the relationship of the various elements thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled fortune telling device in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the invention with certain parts and indicia removed therefrom for particularly pointing out the subdivision of the field inscribed on the board in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 3, the numeral 11 generally designates a fortune telling device constructed in accordance with the invention. The device 11 comprises a pointer 15 pivotably mounted on and spaced above a playing board 20. Inscribed on the upper face of board 20 is an annular field, generally indicated by the numeral 25, and a plurality of indicia inscribed within field 25.

Referring to FIG- 2, pointer 15 is comprised of an elongate body portion or rod 27, a contoured guiding member 35 pivotably secured at a first end or positioning end 32 of rod 27, and a resilient or rubber conical tip rigidly connected in coaxial relationship at the other end or pointing end 30 of rod 27. Pivotably connecting rod 27 to board 20 and maintaining rod 27 spaced above board 20 is a shaft 28 that includes reduced diameter threaded portions 29 at both ends. The upper threaded portion 29 extends through an aperture 39 of pointer 15 located at an intermediate portion of rod 27 and is rigidly secured thereto by fastening means such as a nut 40 and a cooperating washer 41. The lower threaded portion 29 extends through an aperture 43 and board 20 and is pivotably or rotably secured thereto by a fastening means such as nut 45 and washer 46, the fastening means including a bearing surface such as an upper washer 47 and a lower washer 48.

Guiding member 35 is comprised of a nonplaner portion or top 50 and a threaded stud 52 rigidly connected at the unthreaded end to the bottom surface of top 50. The threaded end of shaft 52 extends through an orifice 53 located near end 32 of rod 27 and is secured thereto by fastening means such as a nut 55 and a cooperating washer 56 located on the upper surface of rod 27 in such manner that the member 35 and associated shaft 52 may turn about the axis of the shaft with respect to the rod 27. The location of guiding member 35 near end 32 of rod 27 and the spacing of top 50 above rod 27 provides a restful upper surface 57 by which pointer can be rotatably positioned around board 20. Surface 57 has a recessed arcuate contour, being in its entirety upwardly concave, for comfortably receiving the fingers of the participant, thereby greatly aiding the participant in assuming a relaxed position. The function of guiding member 35 is to transfer subliminal impulses subconsciously moving the arm and fingers of the participant to pointer 15. A relaxed and comfortable position of the participant is necessary to accomplish this function. The mystical qualities of fortune telling device 11 are consequently more fully developed and aided by the aforementioned structure of guiding member 35.

With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, board 20, as mentioned above, has inscribed thereon an indicia bearing, annular field that includes an outer circle 60 and an inner circle 62 concentric therewith. As shown in FIG. 4, field 25 is divided into three subfields: a first subfield indicated by I disposed between dividing line 63 and 64; a second subfield indicated by II disposed between dividing lines 64 and 65; and a third subfield indicated by III disposed between dividing lines 65 and 63. Dividing lines 63, 64 and 65 are spaced around and are tangential to inner circle 62 and extend outwardly, like spokes of a wheel, to and terminate at outer circle 60. Inscribed within subfield II and extending completely through subfield III is an outer arc 66 concentric with field 25. An additional are 67 is inscribed in subfield II concentric with field 25. Thus, subfield II is divided into three arcuate bands, an outer band 68, an inner band 69, and an intermediate band 70 therebetween. Similarly, subfield III is divided by outer arc 66 into an outer band 7l'contiguous with outer band 68 and an inner band 72 contiguous with both inner band 69 and intermediate band 70.

Further subdividing the annular area of field 25 is a plurality of lines or spokes, similar to dividing lines 63, 64 and 65. Spokes 74 define a plurality of regions or sectors that are spaced completely around and are tangential to inner circle 62, such as sector 73a, the first sector in subfield I, and sector 73b, the first sector in subfield ll. Thus, sectors 73 emanating tangentially from inner circle 62 create a pinwheel effect and add to the aura of mysticism of fortune telling device 11.

Inscribed within field 25 is indicia comprised of letters of the English alphabet, integral numbers, months of the year, symbols representing future events and words that are answers to possible questions. Each one of the indicia is inscribed in a corresponding area defined by the aforementioned arcs 66 and 67 and spokes 74. At the top of field 25 is inscribed in sector 73a a figure of a cross and the word Start. The indicia inscribed in the remaining sectors of subfield I are, in a clockwise direction, as follows: The words Yes, No; a symbol in a shape of a heart representing, with reference to FIG. 1a, love and being satisfied; the words Male, Female," Cannot Answer, and Will not Answer"; a symbol in a shape of a suitcase and representing, with reference to FIG. la, travel; and the word Spirit. When playing the game, sector 73a is the initial starting position for pointer 15 and further represents, upon subsequent positioning of pointer 15 to sector 73a punctuation marks, such as periods and commas.

The indicia inscribed in subfield II is organized into three scales, a first scale of indicia 75 inscribed in outer band 68, a second scale of indicia 76 inscribed in intermediate band 70 and a third scale of indicia 77 inscribed in inner band 69. First scale of indicia 75 continues into and occupies all of outer band 71 and subfield III, and similarly second scale of indicia 76 continues into and occupies all of inner band 72 of subfield III. Inscribed in first scale 75 in sector 73b is the symbol of a dagger. With reference to FIG. la, a dagger symbol represents quarrels or dissatisfaction. The remaining spaces in first scale 75 have inscribed therein, one entry per space, the letters of the alphabet in sequence followed by the symbol of a dollar sign representing, with reference to FIG. la, money and the digits from 0 through 9. Inscribed in second scale 76, one entry being inscribed per space, following the space in sector 73b which has inscribed therein the words 2nd Scale are the numbers, in sequence, from 1 through 31, the numbers representing the day of the month, the symbol of a gavel representing, with reference to FIG. 10, legal matters, the word Past," the symbol of an envelope representing, with reference to FIG. la, correspondence, the word Present, the symbol of a diamond representing, with reference to FIG. la, wealth, and the word Future. Third scale 77 has inscribed therein, the title 3rd Scale," followed by the names of the month inscribed in every other sector beginning with January and ending with December.

The name of the fortune telling device, Swami Board is inscribed both across the top of board 20 and along the bottom of board 20, one word appearing in each corner. The name Swami Board, of course, is merely representative of one fortune telling device in accordance with the invention herein disclosed and other names for fortune telling device 11 can be used.

Fortune telling device 11 is usually played in the manner described hereinbelow. The participant places fortune telling device 11 on a table or similar flat supporting surface and comfortably seats himself in front of it. He then places the outstretched fingers of one hand on surface 57 of guiding member 35 maintaining the forearm in a position approximately parallel to board 20 of fortune telling device 11. The participant then practices positioning pointer 15 until pointer 15 can be easily guided in either direction around board 20 with a smooth and relaxed motion. After the participant has the feel" of guiding pointer 15, the game is begun by positioning pointer 15 at the symbol of the cross inscribed in sector 73a and the participant or his associate proposing a question to be answered by fortune telling device 11. Mysteriously, pointer 15 will begin to move in either direction without the conscious awareness of the participant. As the subliminal impulses subconsciously transferred to the fingers of the participant guide pointer 15 around board 20, pointer will seemingly sway back and forth, momentarily stopping at various sectors 73, pointing to the indicia inscribed therein. An associated of the participant records all the indicia inscribed within the indicated sector 73 noting the scale in which the indicia appears. The answer to the previously'proposed question will then become obvious upon examination of the recorded information. 1

Thus, for example, assume the proposed question is, Will I receive a large amount of money? Then, assuming that the pointer 15 has momentarily stopped at the sectors 73 in which the following indicia is inscribed: Yes," 9, Future, A, 1, Jan, 4, Gavel symbol, it will beeen that the answer to the proposed question is, Yes, the asker of the proposed question will receive some money at a future date which will be the first of January and it will be connected with a legal matter. Those indicated indicia that do not pertain to the proposed question are disregarded when reading the answer from the recorded selected indicia.

It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the specific configuration of field 25 can different slightly from the field disclosed herein above. Thus, different words and symbols can be used and the order in which the various letters, numerals, words and symbols appear can differ. In addition, pointer 15 can be comprised of an integral elongate member comprising a shaft and a guiding portion elevated thereabove. Further, surface 57 of guiding member 35 can be molded to the shape of the outstretched fingers of the participant.

Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that variations and modifications may be effected within the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

. l. A fortune telling game for use by a participant for indicating answers to questions proposed by a participant, comprising a board having an indicia bearing field inscribed thereon, said field being divided into regions bya plurality of spoke-like lines, some of said regions further being subdivided into arcuate bands by at least one arcuate line inscribed on said board, the indicia being inscribed in the spaces defined by said lines; and a pointer pivotably mounted on said board for indicating selected ones of the inscribed indicia, said pointer having a positioning end and a pointing end and comprising an elongate body member, means for pivotably mounting said body member to said board and for maintaining said body member spaced from said board, guiding means located at said positioning end for receiving at least one finger of a participant for guiding said pointer in motions about said pivoting means, whereby selected indicia in said field comprising the answer to the proposed question can be indicated by the position of said pointing end, said guiding means having a top portion and means for mounting said top portion to and spaced from said body member, the top surface of said top portion being upwardly concave in its entirety for comfortably receiving a finger of a participant, thereby providing a means by which subconscious motions of the hand of the participant can be transferred to said pointer for guiding the movement thereof.

2. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said field on said board has a substantially annular design and said spoke-like lines are tangential to the inner boundary and extend outwardly to and are coterminous with the outer boundary of said annular field, said spoke-like lines thereby defining a plurality of sector-like portions that are tangentially located around the inner circular area of said field, and said pointer mounting means pivotably mounts said pointer at the center of said field.

3. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 2 wherein said field of indicia includes letters of the English alphabet, integers of the decimal number system, symbols, months of the year, and words, each one of the indicia inscribed in a corresponding one of said regions thereby forming at least an inner ring and an outer concentric ring of indicia.

4. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 3 wherein said pointer mounting means is connected to said elongate body member intermediate between said pointing end and said guiding member mounting means.

5. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 4 wherein said guiding member mounting means pivotably mounts said guiding member on said elongate portion for turning movement with respect thereto.

6. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 5 wherein said pointer is a tapered rod thicker at the positioning end and further comprises a blunted resilient tip mounted coaxially to the indicating end.

7. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pointer mounting means is connected to said elongate body member intermediate between said pointing end and said guiding member mounting means.

8. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guiding member mounting means pivotably mounts said guiding member on said elongate portion for turning movement with respect thereto.

9. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pointer is a tapered rod thicker at the po- 1 sitioning end and further comprises a blunted resilient tip mounted coaxially to the indicating end. 

1. A fortune telling game for use by a participant for indicating answers to questions proposed by a participant, comprising a board having an indicia bearing field inscribed thereon, said field being divided into regions by a plurality of spoke-like lines, some of said regions further being subdivided into arcuate bands by at least one arcuate line inscribed on said board, the indicia being inscribed in the spaces defined by said lines; and a pointer pivotably mounted on said board for indicating selected ones of the inscribed indicia, said pointer having a positioning end and a pointing end and comprising an elongate body member, means for pivotably mounting said body member to said board and for maintaining said body member spaced from said board, guiding means located at said positioning end for receiving at least one finger of a participant for guiding said pointer in motions about said pivoting means, whereby selected indicia in said field comprising the answer to the proposed question can be indicated by the position of said pointing end, said guiding means having a top portion and means for mounting said top portion to and spaced from said body member, the top surface of said top portion being upwardly concave in its entirety for comfortably receiving a finger of a participant, thereby providing a means by which subconscious motions of the hand of the participant can be transferred to said pointer for guiding the movement thereof.
 2. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said field on said board has a substantially annular design and said spoke-like lines are tangential to the inner boundary and extend outwardly to and are coterminous with the outer boundary of said annular field, said spoke-like lines thereby defining a plurality of sector-like portions that are tangentially located around the inner circular area of said field, and said pointer mounting means pivotably mounts said pointer at the center of said field.
 3. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 2 wherein said field of indicia includes letters of the English alphabet, integers of the decimal number system, symbols, months of the year, and words, each one of the indicia inscribed in a corresponding one of said regions thereby forming at least an inner ring and an outer concentric ring of indicia.
 4. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 3 wherein said pointer mounting means is connected to said elongate body member intermediate between said pointing end and said guiding member mounting means.
 5. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 4 wherein said guiding member mounting means pivotably mounts said guiding member on said elongate portion for turning movement with respect thereto.
 6. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 5 wherein said pointer is a tapered rod thicker at the positioning end and further comprises a blunted resilient tip mounted coaxially to the indicating end.
 7. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pointer mounting means is connected to said elongate body member intermediate between said pointing end and said guiding member mounting means.
 8. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said guiding member mounting means pivotably mounts said guiding member on said elongate portion for turning movement with respect thereto.
 9. A fortune telling game in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pointer is a tapered rod thicker at the positioning end and further comprises a blunted resilient tip mounted coaxially to the indicating end. 